In view of the present-day increasing size of passenger transport aircraft, and also the longer flight durations (e.g. over fifteen hours) being flown by such aircraft, new and additional demands are being made by passengers and by situations that arise during flight, which must be handled or mastered by the flight attendants or other aircraft crew personnel, and which require the airlines or aircraft manufacturers to provide measures accommodating these demands and situations. For example, the number or proportion of older passengers is constantly rising, and therewith the risk that serious health problems will occur during a flight is increasing. As another example, there is an increasing demand for suitable accommodations for mothers, fathers or other caregivers to provide the necessary childcare for a child or especially an infant or baby traveling in their care. Moreover, safety situations, such as the need to isolate and restrain belligerent, refractory or obstinate passengers, are arising evermore often. Triggers for such behaviors of passengers may, for example, be misuse of alcohol or drugs, an aggressive behavior or psychological problems, or physical/medical attacks, cramps, or the like. Passengers are further calling for special accommodations in view of the fact that a long flight duration may sensibly be used for work activities, e.g. carrying out office work. For this purpose, however, the typical narrow passenger seat is only suitable to a rather limited extent.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,024,398 (Riedinger et al.) discloses the arrangement of one or more office modules within the passenger cabin of an aircraft, to provide for the user of such a module a somewhat undisturbed work environment. For this purpose, the modules are suitably equipped or outfitted for carrying out office work, for example with a desk, a chair, a telephone, a computer connection, and the like. Each module is bounded by sidewalls that do not extend up to the ceiling of the aircraft cabin to leave an open top of the module, and has an access opening that is preferably selectably closeable or coverable by means of a curtain or the like. Such a module, while being equipped and outfitted for office work, is not suitable for multiple purposes, and is not adapted to be easily converted for various uses.
Further special-use compartments or rooms, for example such as parent-child compartments, information centers, and telephone booths, as they are sometimes provided in passenger trains and passenger ships, have not been provided in passenger aircraft. The reason for this is especially the strictly limited space available in the aircraft cabin, as well as the strict weight limitations in aircraft. For these reasons, common or publicly accessible compartments in passenger aircraft have nearly exclusively been designed and equipped as single-purpose toilet, lavatory or restroom compartments.